The Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AIRS) has faulted the recent claim by former governor Peter Obi that SABMiller Breweries is the state’s highest taxpayer, stating that the brewery ranks sixth behind several top contributors, including Fidelity Bank Plc.
In a statement posted Thursday, AIRS described Obi’s assertion as inaccurate and clarified that SABMiller’s tax contributions do not place it among the top five revenue-generating entities in the state.
According to the agency, the brewery—which produces Hero Lager, Castle Milk Stout, Grand Malt, and Beta Malt—paid an average of ₦28 million per month in 2023 and ₦26.62 million per month in 2024.
“Interestingly, SABMiller comes a distant sixth position behind Fidelity Bank Plc with a gross tax payment of ₦656.5 million in two years (2023 and 2024),” the revenue agency stated.
“In this sense, the claim can be dismissed with a wave of hand.”
The AIRS added that the clarification was necessary to address ongoing public inquiries and to provide accurate, undiluted information on the state’s tax profile.
“The attention of the Service has been drawn to some public domain claims regarding the fact that SABMiller Breweries is the highest taxpayer in the state,” it said. “For the avoidance of doubt, while the Service has made monumental strides in increasing internally generated revenue from between ₦1.5 billion and ₦2.0 billion per month in previous years to a consistent ₦4 billion monthly, with an all-time high of ₦10.5 billion in May 2025, SABMiller’s contributions do not reflect the topmost position claimed.”
Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate and former Anambra governor, had earlier defended his administration’s decision to invest in the Onitsha-based SABMiller facility—operated by Intafact Beverages Limited—citing it as a major driver of economic activity and employment in the state.
“If I tell you what I suffered for that brewery to be built in Anambra State, you will not believe it,” Obi said in a recent interview. “I had to go out trying to attract business to Anambra State. The biggest revenue earner in Anambra State is our brewery.”
Why are we fighting good things around us all the time, this man His Excellence Peter Obi brought company to help the state and society of Anambra State but you fighting to discredit him.